I adore Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.

 

Interesting that it debuted in the top five, I guess pre-release airplay was really becoming a thing by this point then, even for previously unknown acts.

3-6 in that top 10 is glorious :heart:

Edited March 5, 20232 yr by JulianT

 

If ever an Erasure song was going to be used somewhere… it was always likely to be a game about unicorns

s/o to “Son of a Gun” which entered and peaked at 13 for JX (Jake Williams). He would later go on to become Rex The Dog and make bangers like “Maximize” and “I Can See You, Can You See Me?”

 

 

Btw, part of the reason “The Real Thing” is slowly climbing (for 1994 standards) was because the main hook is 'If I Can’t Have You' and I think people think it's called that..

Really liked the Toni di Bart song back in the day, also Erasure - Always is a classic.

I think I might have been following a different chart like NME or MM or something back then cos I was convinced it had been Erasure at #1 and Prince at #2

 

The rest of newbies I don't like so much, Haddaway's first 2 singles were great but the next 2 were terrible

and never liked the Mmmm song, never a fan of the vocals which are so so low

Crash Test Dummies is a great single and the new Erasure one is a classic, would it be fair to say that this was the final proper big comeback, they had a great period between 1986-94!

 

Also JX only got to 13, most dance classics back then went top 10, surprised this banger just missed out!

 

Edit: Just seeing it went top 10 upon rerelease in 1995(this seemed to happen ALOT in the 90s)!

Edited March 5, 20232 yr by steve201

The vocalist of 'Mmm mmm mmm mmm' certainly has a unique voice which would make the song a good karaoke song I think! Also humming is under represented in songs anyway!

Also JX only got to 13, most dance classics back then went top 10, surprised this banger just missed out!

 

Edit: Just seeing it went top 10 upon rerelease in 1995(this seemed to happen ALOT in the 90s)!

 

How were the 1994 and 1995 versions of JX - Son Of A Gun different sonically I wonder?

 

Anyway, the chart run of 'Son Of A Gun' reminds me of the chart run of another dance classic we will see soon over in the Gallup 1983 thread!

Always was by far my favourite song at this time, I still think it's one of their best singles. I remember listening to a commercial radio chart that had them at #1 on the Saturday so I was really quite gutted when the single only entered at #4. Of course in retrospect #4 was actually pretty typical for an Erasure single. It will sadly be the last time we see an Erasure song I really love in this thread.

 

 

I was actually disappointed by Always (I bought it anyway) but I've grown to like it a lot since. I had totally moved on to other bands since Erasure had previously released a single.

30TH APRIL

 

 

A very scrappy week at the top of the charts which saw the top 3 all sell within 1,000 copies of each other but what looked like a sure fire thing for Crash Test Dummies was eaten away with TOTP giving the final boost to the existing chart topper from Prince which retains the top spot for a second week though its sales are reduced to 52,000. Crash Test Dummies climb 5-2 (51,500) and Tony Di Bart is left stranded at No 3 (51,000) but his sales are still improving. Next week could be a straight fight between CTD and Di Bart with Prince unlikely to be a challenger especially given that a CD with 8 versions of his current hit being issued in a fortnight and being eligible for the singles chart (due to dealer price and length of less than 40 minutes) which will also eat into sales.

 

 

 

It probably won’t be Erasure, “Always” can only hold at No 4 (41,000) with sales down and their 6th album out this week, it could however be a smash and grab on the top spot by reggae act CJ Lewis. He’s been issuing reggae singles for some years now without commercial success before he covered “Sweets For My Sweet”, a track originally recorded by the Drifters before becoming a UK No 1 single 30 years ago for The Searchers. His success can be seen as an extension of the success of the genre which has exploded over the last year, it climbs now 11-5 (35,000) and will contribute to an interesting chart next week.

 

 

 

The Pretenders have been through the wringer since they first struck it big in 1979 with only Hynde remaining the original line up. The latest version of the line up score a 6th top ten single with “I’ll Stand By You”, the song is co-written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly who have more than a few chart toppers themselves so watch out for this as it jets 28-10 (18,000) this week.

 

 

Bitty McLean edges 8-6 (29,000) but heading south are Take That 2-7 (28,000), Reel 2 Real 7-8 (25,000) and Bruce Springsteen is fading 6-9 (20,000). Both Take That and Springsteen move over the 300,000 mark and Reel 2 Real will follow them this week.

 

 

1- THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE WORLD- Prince (52,000)

2- MMM MMM MMM MMM- Crash Test Dummies (51,500)

3- THE REAL THING- Tony Di Bart (51,000)

4- ALWAYS- Erasure (41,000)

5- SWEETS FOR MY SWEET- CJ Lewis (35,000)

6- DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE- Bitty McLean (29,000)

7- EVERYTHING CHANGES- Take That (28,000)

8- I LIKE TO MOVE IT- Reel 2 Real Ft Mad Stuntman (25,000)

9- STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA- Bruce Springsteen (20,000)

10- I’LL STAND BY YOU- The Pretenders (18,000)

 

7TH MAY

 

 

We’re almost halfway through the 90s now but never has the top 5 been so close to each other as they were last week, little more than 5,000 copies separated first from fifth but again just 500 copies proved crucial to the destination of the No 1 spot with Tony Di Bart’s club support proving decisive. “The Real Thing” rises 3-1 (47,000) despite no TOTP and a sales reduction, that’s the lowest sale for a No 1 since last February 1993 when Whitney Houston sold a mere 44,000 in its tenth week on top. Its clasp on the crown is tenuous, Prince drops 1-2 (46,500), the others in the mix were CJ Lewis who rises 5-3 (45,000) and Crash Test Dummies who drop 2-4 (43,000) but must curse their bad luck for a second week.

 

 

 

Included also are Stiltskin, a Scottish rock group who put their song “Inside” forward to be used in the new Levi commercial. They got the gig in an unusual step by the Jeans company who normally prefer to re-release an old song, the £8 million campaign centring around the advert and track has naturally provided the song with ample promotion as it debuts at No 5 (42,000) and must now surely ascend to No 1 next week? Incidentally one of the other songs in the running? Massive Attack’s “Unfinished Sympathy”.

 

 

 

Gianfranco Bortolotti is a talented man he’s had top 3 hits under the moniker’s 49er’s and Capella but his first in the UK was back in 1983 under the name Clubhouse who made No 11 with the medley “Do It Again/ Billie Jean”. He’s flitted between his various projects but returned to the Clubhouse name for a single last year “Light My Fire” featuring vocalist Carl Fanini who was the vocalist on East Side Beat’s “Ride Like The Wind” co-incidentally an outfit which also contained Bortolotti. The single floated around the bottom end of the charts making No 45 before fizzling out though it has retained popularity in the clubs. A new slew of remixes now accompany the single as it gets a re-release and improves 11-7 (26,000).

 

 

 

They’re almost Premiership champions (one more victory required) and an FA Cup final later this month to look forward to Manchester United seem to have the footballing word at their feet at present and now they’re conquering the pop charts. Masterminded by Status Quo who have built the track “Come On You Reds” around their 1988 single “Burning Bridges” and give the football club their highest placed hit as the song climbs 16-8 (25,000) this week. The previous best was 1985’s “We All Follow Man Utd” which peaked two places lower but a clever rewriting of the lyrics has produced the magic here though it remains to be seen if they enough national support to propel this much higher. If you’re more of a Chelsea fan (they are United’s opponents for the final) then you can buy their single “No One Can Stop Us Now” which is out this week.

 

 

Elsewhere Erasure fall 4-6 (35,000), Bitty McLean is spent 6-9 (22,000) and Reel 2 Real fall 8-10 (22,000).

 

 

1- THE REAL THING- Tony Di Bart (47,000)

2- THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE WORLD- Prince (46,500)

3- SWEETS FOR MY SWEET- CJ Lewis (45,000)

4- MMM MMM MMM MMM- Crash Test Dummies (43,000)

5- INSIDE- Stiltskin (42,000)

6- ALWAYS- Erasure (35,000)

7- LIGHT MY FIRE- Clubhouse Ft Carl (26,000)

8- COME ON YOU REDS- Manchester United Squad (25,000)

9- DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE- Bitty McLean (22,000)

10- I LIKE TO MOVE IT- Reel 2 Real Ft Mad Stuntman (22,000)

 

Bloody unlucky for Crash Test Dummies, it would have been such a great No.1. The Real Thing is an ok dance song but Tony didn’t exactly scream star quality on TOTP. What a lucky No.1!

Second best number 1 of 1994 :wub:

At #13 for both these weeks was Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge :wub:

I like 'The Real Thing' but it always struck me as being such a random #1!

nice to see Pretenders at #10 with the classic Stand by You, almost ruined for me years later with that GA cover

Yeh not a fantastic era for the top 10 here with the Man United song and that random dance song at no1!

You can’t mention the great Real Thing in the same league as one of the worst number 1s ever. Come On You Reds is appalling!

exactly, The Real Thing is an amazing dance track, much better than all the silly Eurodance floating around in 94

Shame I'll Stand By You didn't go higher after that great leap from No.26 to No.10, deserved way better.